We should honor our heroes. I was taught that from a very young age. We should especially honor our heroes in the military, especially those fight in wars for our freedom.

In my family, we have an ancestor that I have always been proud of—Casimir Pulaski. For those who are not aware of him because George Washington is a more popular war figure in the founding of the United States, I’ll share some of the history.

Casimir Pulaski was born in March 1745, and he was a Polish nobleman, soldier and military commander. Following a recommendation by Benjamin Franklin, he immigrated to North America to support the cause of the Revolutionary War.

My ancestor formed the Pulaski Legion, which was a mishmash of cavalry infantry that played a crucial role in several battles. In the Battle of Brandywine on Sept. 11, 1777, George Washington and his Continental Army were in danger of being overwhelmed by British forces, but the Pulaski Legion led his band right into the battle, delaying the British long enough for the Americans to withdraw, saving Washington’s life in the process.

Casimir was mortally wounded Oct. 9, 1779, by a melon ball to the gut in the Siege of Savannah, which family members have said is worse than a bullet wound from the guns of today. They also sang his praises in that it took two days for him to die from his injuries.

I don’t know if you can tell, but I am proud of this segment of my family history. If you have amazing historical figures in your lineage, you probably feel the same way. That’s why when someone portrays my ancestor inaccurately or as a punchline, I take it personally.

As I’m writing this, Casimir Pulaski Days is about to begin in Pulaski, Wisconsin. It’s supposed to be a festival honoring the late Revolutionary War general that the village is named after. A couple of videos circulating online have me questioning if the festival is properly portraying a member of my family.

Our Fox television affiliate in Green Bay featured a segment on the morning news about Casimir Pulaski Days. One of the people interviewed was Jaime Lee, who does an online series called Shawano News, which is supposed to be positive news about Shawano, the community I live in.

During the segment, which was filmed in the village’s historical museum, Tammy and Jaime both pronounced the festival’s name as “Cashmere” Pulaski Days. Cashmere is fine soft wool from the Kashmir goat that is used to make sweaters, scarves and more.

My ancestor is not a sweater. He is considered in the history books to be the father of the American cavalry, and yet these women can’t be bothered to pronounce his name properly, which by the way is KA-zi-meer Pə-LAS-kee.

I’m used to having my last name mispronounced. I grew up in Arizona, where there were no Pulaski symbols or historical icons by which someone could learn the proper speaking of a name.

However, the pronunciation of the name should be known in a community bearing the Pulaski name, especially with a historical museum with information on Casimir Pulaski, and to mispronounce the first name is borderline sacrilegious. This was akin to nails on a chalkboard.

The name debacle is bad enough, but Jaime Lee did something else before this that made my blood boil. There is plenty of art out there showing what Casimir looks like. Instead of using the art as a reference when deciding to dress as Casimir, she decided to don the regular Revolutionary War costume with a mustache that looks nothing like Casimir’s, and then she pranced while donning the role of Casimir for her Shawano News segment.

I highly doubt Revolutionary War soldiers had the time or the inclination to prance, and I’m certain that my ancestor, who was a general, did not prance like Liberace in a Revolutionary War parody. This is not some fictional character in a book she’s impersonating, but a war hero who died fighting for freedom, and if he hadn’t taken part, the first president of this country might not have been George Washington.

Jaime could have done her pieces on the festival without the costume, and many times she features businesses and organizations without the need to impersonate someone. She did not follow her modus operandi in this case, even resorting to calling herself “Little Cashmere,” and I was greatly offended.

Jaime considers herself to be a hometown storyteller and positive content creator through Shawano News. When she turns a historical war hero into a joke and doesn’t even take the time to learn his name correctly, that mars her reputation on both counts.

As for the festival itself, it starts in a day as I write this. I hope festival organizers don’t botch anything else related to Casimir Pulaski’s heritage, as I might write a follow-up to this. The two missteps that already took place courtesy of Jaime Lee are enough. You don’t deliver gut-punches about America’s war heroes. That’s just a line you don’t cross.

To see the Fox 11 segment, go here.

To see the Shawano News segments, go here and here.